WI: Nazis use Type XIV UBoat for Amphibious Assaults

dkm_u_boat_type_xiv_1942_submarine-65065.jpg


Not to long ago I started a thread on the Germans potentially using one of their assault U-Boat sub models as a makeshift amphibious landing boat for small raids. (determined to be pretty implausible)

But what if instead the Germans had use one of there uboat tankers/ressupply subs as a troop transport vessel?

Type XIV specifically?

uboat_type_xiv_b.jpg


It carried no torpedoes which gave it far more efficient use of space internally for supplies and it's crews.
So again, it seems nominal to just replace said supplies with men and small arms for a massive raid or possible island invasion.
 
Are you aware of the already cramped conditions on a submarine for the normal crew? There simply is not much space to spare for "guests" let alone troops with all their equipment. Even a sub, not armed herself with torpedoes, does not have such space available, as its cargo is outside the presurehull and therefor not accessable when submerged, nor very friendly for troops, as they are supposed to breath air.
 
Are you aware of the already cramped conditions on a submarine for the normal crew? There simply is not much space to spare for "guests" let alone troops with all their equipment. Even a sub, not armed herself with torpedoes, does not have such space available, as its cargo is outside the presurehull and therefor not accessable when submerged, nor very friendly for troops, as they are supposed to breath air.

No, what I'm saying is place the armaments and ammo outside the pressure hull which has over 500 tons of carrying capacity in there (instead of items used for sub resupply) and put the soldiers themselves (which will only have to be in the sub traveling for less than a day) in pressure hull. Sure it'd be cramped but not anymore than a landing flotilla on dday

Or maybe just expand the pressure hull itself during production, though of this I'm unsure.
 
Last edited:
One of the critical components of a amphib assault is speed in crossing the beach. This includes the follow up phase when material & reinforcements are landed. The question I have is the plan for discharging the cargo carried outside the pressure hull. Is it to be dumped in the water & dragged to dry ground, or lightered ashore in some sort of small craft. ...and how is it removed from the compartments?

Beaching subs for off loading is a worst case practice. They are relatively deep draft, and prone to capsize when boyancy no longer supports the hull. That is they fall over as the tide runs out. Subs have been very sucessfull supporting amphib raids and reconissance. Their use in assaults has actually been studied by assorted navies and found 'difficult' or of extreme low practicallity.

Other difficulties are submersed navigation, difficulty of manuvering subs in shallow water with unpredictable tides/currents/winds, vulnerability to counter fires, large crew requirements vs purpose built landing craft.
 
One of the critical components of a amphib assault is speed in crossing the beach. This includes the follow up phase when material & reinforcements are landed. The question I have is the plan for discharging the cargo carried outside the pressure hull. Is it to be dumped in the water & dragged to dry ground, or lightered ashore in some sort of small craft. ...and how is it removed from the compartments?

Beaching subs for off loading is a worst case practice. They are relatively deep draft, and prone to capsize when boyancy no longer supports the hull. That is they fall over as the tide runs out. Subs have been very sucessfull supporting amphib raids and reconissance. Their use in assaults has actually been studied by assorted navies and found 'difficult' or of extreme low practicallity.

Other difficulties are submersed navigation, difficulty of manuvering subs in shallow water with unpredictable tides/currents/winds, vulnerability to counter fires, large crew requirements vs purpose built landing craft.

I'm pretty sure all of those problems can be solved with liberal amounts of coal.:rolleyes:
 
It sounds like a really bad way to misuse an otherwise-valuable asset, to be honest. What sort of operations do you envisage them being used in?
 
Okay, lets see with an actual blueprint.

typeXIV.JPG

On image C you can see that if on top they can fit three set of bunk bed, on the bottom (the munition/torpedo space now emptied) only one set of bunk bed (the red square) can be fitted with space to actually get inside. The side are closed space and I don't know if there was opening. But even if there was, it's too cramped so it could only be used as a storage area.
On the main image, you can see that only three bunk bed of three person can be fitted on the bottom row (the munition/torpedo space now emptied).
The green square is the space reserved to the rubber boat. I based myself on the American LCRL for the size.

So even if you imagine that the German soldiers are bad-ass and sleep with all their gears, only nine soldiers could be brought with a single U-boat.
For small secret raid it could be done. The sub would allow the surprise element needed to inflate the boat on top and paddle to the coast, raid, and come back.

typeXIV.JPG
 
Top